With The Perrys - We Ain’t Worldly No More

Episode Date: April 1, 2024

Even if we’re in Christ, we can find ourselves being drawn back into former strongholds of sin and fleshly desires. The world may feel fun, but some of our “fun” has Satan attached to it, and we need deliverance. Jackie and Preston discuss the idea that we love perverted versions of pleasure – not the real thing God wants to give us. But there’s hope. If we are in Christ, we’re being sanctified every day as God regenerates us, giving us new desires, new thoughts, and new perspectives. Subscribe to the Perrys' newsletter: https://withtheperrys.myflodesk.com/zhfus4jx1s Join Preston's discipleship community for men: https://www.patreon.com/PrestonPerry/membership To support the work of the Perrys, donate via PayPal: https://paypal.me/withtheperrys Shop BOLD Apparel: boldapparel.shop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the saints in the ain't. Oh boy. We're doing this again. It's the saints and the aides. That's not like Alicia. It's the saints in me. That's not funny, Jackie. I don't.

So on the last podcast, we talked about honoring our elders and honoring people who came before us. Okay. Alicia is our elders. Our elder. Okay. That's not honoring her. She didn't honor any of our ears at the Super Bowl. Okay.

So I deserve to be honored too. Jackie has been irritated. Is that the right word with Alicia? But fuddled because they keep giving this lady a mic. Y'all keep giving her a mic. You see this mic? The piano is like below her waist. Turn the mic towards the piano.

Don't keep putting that mic towards her mouth. Oh, wow. Don't keep doing that. You didn't like Alicia's red. Red. Some. That's exactly what she said. So.

Nah, she ain't to do that. What are you talking about? Alicia ain't saying good since the first album when she was broke. It was something about this lady being poor that she sang good. Yeah, when she was brain due hair in the video. Yes. She needs the braids back. What a real woman needs a real man.

That one. Anyway, I love Alicia Keys as an image bearer. As a singer, not so much. Image bearer made in the image of the living guy, absolutely. She got a lot of hits. She got a lot of hits. Yep. What we're talking about today?

Because in studio, Alicia, is always going to be different than live Alicia. In studio, you got engineers, you got mixing, you got all of the, keep doing that. Just don't perform it. Oh, man. what are we talking about? I don't know. I feel sorry for Alicia right now.

So we were at State Farm for a comedy show and they were playing like 2000s like club music and I turned the press. Drop down and get your ego along, girl.

Never that. Shake that laugh at tapping. Wait, wait, wait, wait. The value busts that went. We were really. We were really. bump of the song Shake that laugh and taffet

So listen They were It was an intermission And we were waiting On the comedians To come out or whatever And they was playing that type of music And I turned to present

I said I'm really struggling Because I like this music And I'm not saying All the music is bad It just it makes me want to go out It makes me want to go To somebody's club

Because I love music I feel like I've iterated that a couple times that I really, really love music. So I loved the club for that reason. Yeah, Jackie wanted to go to the beauty spa store and get a tall white tea and go back for us. I did not.

And so I told Chris, I was like, we should talk about that. Like how that was a stronghold for me when I became a Christian, how to adjust to not being able to go out. Like the simple stuff like that. Not just talk about that, but just talk about like how hard it is to let go of your past life and just the world. The world. Yes.

Yeah Because when I first got saved Before I got saved I went to the club Every single week Yeah I did too Every single week Yeah I stopped going to the club

After a while But yeah I used to go all the time too Then I got saved In the most ratchet music I could possibly get close to At that time was Canton Jones Yeah and then you get saved And you just had I hop

I hop in the bowling alley And skate Gospel skate That's the Most I could get to a club was us skating to, I love them like I do. I love them like I do. I just came from a world when we listen to D4L and A ball, MJG and all these people. And I love them like I do.

What is this? I never heard of this song. This sounds crazy. So what was the things that was hardest for you to give up? In the beginning? In the beginning. Yeah. And then we want to get to get to.

too, how do you work through it and how do the Lord sanctify you through it? But yeah. So God was so kind to me because I was a wee head. He delivered me from marijuana immediately. Because I do think some things are immediate. Some things are progressive. And we, he just took the taste of that out of my mouth. It did become, or was a temptation when I had stress or anxiety or somebody made me mad

because I would always just, you know, smoke blunt to, to, you know, know, cast my cares on weed instead of at the Lord's feet. And so when I would have situations where, like, I was just emotionally temperamental, that was a temptation, but I had to, like, fight and be like, I got to trust the Lord. He can give me peace because he's the prince of peace and stuff like that. But I think all of it, bro, not having weed, not getting drunk, not having, you know, all of these even emotional or sexual relationships to keep me company or to give me pleasure, not even cursing, my God.

Yeah. I had a foul mouth. Yeah. And so like for somebody to make me mad and me to have to choose a better word. Stuff like that. Right, right. Yeah. For me the same, well, the same thing is really just, you know, sexual sin.

And it was some things that the Lord took away from me immediately too. Marijuana was one. Alcohol was another marijuana was a little harder, but alcohol was like, just getting like drunkenness. I want to just say. That boy said alcohol. Alcohol. Whatever.

Alcohol. Alcohol. Whatever. Yeah. Whatever, man. Yeah, just getting drunk. But I,

you know, I did what every hood do, do when he gets saved. I thought I had to break all my Tupac CDs and DMX CDs, M&M CDs. I did that too. Yeah,

like. But I did it after watching. Because if you break it, you can't listen to it no more. Correct. Like, I'm really holy. It's really gone.

Right. I did that with G. Craig Lewis after I watched it. No, no, no. I got saved and I think I watched the G. Craig Lewis thing again. And I was like, my entire CD album is full of demons. I have to talk. And I am actually, I fell away. I think it was good for me to do at the time.

But I feel a way because I had 3LW, you know, the first Destiny's Child writing's on the wall. Brandy's never say never. Promises, promises. The Lisp is crazy. because you didn't have to do that. I'm tired of your broken. Promise you. You didn't have to do that.

I can't talk. No. No more. Maybe you can't. I just want my CDs back. That's the point. I had mixed tapes. You're going to mess up your makeup.

I had mixed tapes on there. You're ignorant, man. I forgot about 3.O.W. Shout out 3.O.W. They were about black. Kim, you can't laugh. You holding the camera, Kim. I just want my CD's bad. Yeah, but anytime somebody get famous with a list, just like you got real talent. Because they signed you with a list with a list. I'm supposed to move us along, but I can't

because you keep going. I'm sad. That's no shade to nobody. I mean, I got. And what shade? Everything you just said with shade. But we all got something wrong with. I got crooked teeth. My teeth ain't straight. Right. People be standing on a podcast. You know what I'm saying? And people talk about it. I don't get mad. I'm getting braces soon, though. How did you learn not to have an attitude and fight people? Even though that was very progressive, I don't know if I've ever told people the story that the weak me and Preston were getting married.

Why did you, why are you going to say it is? Because you had a lot of, I was stressed. An anger problem. Yeah, I had an anger problem. And there are times when in your flesh, you still do have an anger problem. But the Lord has continued to subject that to his spirit. But in the early days, that that spirit would raise up and wreak havoc. No, give you buck, boy, no, no, no, no, no.

Week of our marriage, we, you had to go get a belt from the gab. I feel like I told this story before. But you had to go, or was it, Old Navy? Because I don't think we, we didn't have gap money yet. You, we were going to, old Navy, you had to get a bell. I'm in the car talking to my mama. Not a week of the wedding,

like the last two weeks ago. Anyway, I'm in the car talking my mom on the phone. And I'm like waiting on you and you come out and you got in the car and you start cursing. You're not a cursor. So I already knew something was wrong. And then I'm on the phone with my mama. And she's like, ain't there some Christian?

So I say, hey, Mom, I'm going to call you right back. I'm driving slowly through the parking lot. and you open the door while I'm saying what's happening, you open the door while the car is moving and get out of the car. So I'm like, oh, not. Crazy. Crazy. So I parked the car, shut the door. I walk in to the gap or Old Navy.

I was so. You are chasing this white man. I'm ashamed. Around the store telling him, I bet you won't fight me though. I bet you won't fight me though. Everybody at the cash register is standing there with all their polos and their cardigans. looking at this black man chased this white man

in his solid 60s and telling him he wasn't in the 60s he was actually really swollen that that even made it even more awkward because I'm like what is going on

long story short he called Preston to NWher and Preston was trying to fight him and I told Preston I said the police are going to come here and they're going to arrest you and you're going to go to jail oh man

I can just feel the judgment throughout the world right now he ain't saved like he's saved Who is pastor? Because that kind of anger is worldly. Yeah, it is. Right? Because is you enacting your own vengeance instead of depending on the Lord to do justice for you.

So how have like how how have you, we talked about this in our anger episode, but help us out. Yeah, yeah. I think for me, yeah, man, like one, I just want to say the reason why he called me in work is because I opened the door. I didn't see him behind. me and I let the door close on him and he said you could have held the door open and I said I didn't see you there sir I literally said sir made it more respectful and he said whatever inward you know and so whatever nigra when I sat in the car you know it ninja I meditated in the fact that color did he really just call me that and so then I proceeded to chase him I'm not

proud of that but I'm to answer your question um I think with the Lord had to show me early on, it's because I felt convicted for days after that, right? And I think what I had to learn and I think what other Christians have to know is that when God's, God saves us, but that salvation looks like this. It looks like justifying us and sanctifying us, right? What justification did for me is it even though I messed up and chased a man around Old Navy, it still did not change my position. You sure do that.

Which means because of what Christ has done for me, he has taken me out of a place of darkness and placed me into a place of light. And so I didn't, I didn't, I didn't, my position didn't change because I was still in Jesus. Yeah. Right. Even though I still had the, the, the, the propensity to sin, right?

Right. Because my, my nature is still very falling, right? But because I've been justified, I did not stop being a Christian when I did that, right? God has given me that position through the sacrifice of his son. But in that, God is sanctified. I mean, so I think when people hear the word, you're saved, we have to hear that in the term of, no, he's saving us.

It is like the sanctification points to the fact that, no, we are just not saved. We're being like he is saving us every single day, right? And so every single day, every single month, every single year, every single, you know, decade, we are being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. And so early in that was 10, what, 11 years ago? You know, I was being, God was doing a work in me, right? So one thing that people tend to lean on is they, they assume that because God is the one who is doing the work of sanctification,

that that means that they don't have to join him in that work. Yes. Right. So he is sanctifying you because he saved you, making you, like conforming you more into the image of his son. Yet at the same time, you have an anger issue that you have to actively put to death. Yeah. So what did that look like?

So for me, it looked like consistent repentance. Like, come, like I love Hebrews 414, where it says that we have a great high priest who was passed with the heavens, yada, yada, yada. for we do not have a high priest who was unable to sympathize without weakness at the end of the verse it says therefore come to the throne of grace with confidence that we might find help and grace in our time of need.

And so I consistently ran to God's throne and said, help me. That's literally what sanctified me. Like literally like when that situation happened and another situation happened like that and I saw how disappointing you was and I felt convicted. I said God, if something like that happened

when I have kids and I don't see my eyes. see myself. Yeah. Not responding like that anymore. Yeah. I need you to help me. Yeah. And through the years, I got more and more maturing him.

That stuff's trying to die off more and more, right? Because God is saying in order of like, because your nature is falling, you are going to have mistakes. You are going to have sinful moments, right? You're going to continue to have sinful moments if you don't come to me for help. Right? And so, you know, I think, one, I think. one has to have the humility to say, man, even though God has saved me, it is still some things

about me that is not good. And I need to run to the one, right? Because Hebrew says this. It says that because God became a man and dwelt amongst his own creation, he knows how to empathize with the fact that you're a human because he became human, right? But because he was perfect, he knows how to help you. Right. And so that's why that same passage says, yet he was without sin. Yeah, yeah. So he said, you could find grace and help at his throne. I like that. Yeah. You can find grace and help in his throne.

And so that's what I had to learn. It's like, no, not only is it unlimited grace at its throne, it's unlimited help. And so I think that's what helped me become sanctified. That's good. And so now, like, if somebody talk crazy to me, I probably just try to give him the gospel. Yeah. Ten years ago, I was ready to knuckle up. Yeah, run up, get done up.

Yeah, I'm saying. And so, like, I think that Christians have to encourage them to, encourage themselves to know, no, God is doing the work, right? And the work that he started in you, he's faithful to finish it if you run to him for help. Yeah, I was while you were talking, I was thinking about what was underneath even me missing the club, for example, or like, you know, and I think some of that is the world feels fun, you know, it feels fun to go out with your friends. And it feels fun to go out with your friends

and listen to start music and drink and do all of that. It's like a perversion of fellowship. Like you're just going out and kicking it. So I think when I became a Christian, a part of the sanctification for me was the renewing of my mind of what fun was. Like the Lord had to teach me what fun it is because I think the flesh and Satan

wanted me to think that drunkenness, and a lack of sobriety and sexual perversion and like, you know, like that type of, like what the Bible even calls debauchery, like that type of stuff was fun. But something happens when the Lord renews your mind and changes your heart where the funnest thing is is what would honor God with other Christians. And so what I mean is now I don't have to go to the club and have fun. Yeah, yeah. Like we can we can literally go out to eat. We could play spades. We can do stuff like that.

And it's, it's fun to me because I, I enjoy purity. Yeah. I didn't enjoy purity before. And so like sometimes it's like, man, I don't want to be a Christian because they don't have fun. It's like, no, we don't have sinful fun.

Yeah. Like, even David said, like, at your right hand are pleasures forever. We're at his right hand. Yeah. So that means like, who created pleasure? Yeah. The Lord did. Do you know who made orgasms?

Do you know who created those? God, and I'm so glad he did. Imagine what kind of, what kind of God do you have to be to create an orgasm? I'm sorry, that's extra, but I'm saying. I mean, I'm saying, Preston, you're doing the absolute most. No, I'm saying, can we praise God for anniversary? You're doing a lot. Listen, I'm not even talking about, I'm not even talking about orgasms.

I'm simply trying to make the point. I'm thinking about the beach. I'm thinking about the water. You're not. You just went, you went somewhere we wasn't supposed to go. Okay, I'm not a little bit, but God is still sanctify me. God is still sanctify me. Come back here.

We thank God for anniversaries. If God made orgasms, then God made joy. That's the point of trying to make. If God made joy, you can't tell me that being in him, you won't experience what joy is. I see what you going with that. No, that was good, though bad. That was good. That was a really good point.

Thank you. But what I'm saying is. Do you understand what I'm saying? No, I do. I do. Because that's a stronghold for a lot of people is that Christianity doesn't seem fun. Yeah. The problem isn't that Christianity isn't fun.

Is that your definition of fun is off. Yeah. And that's because I think, you know, a lot of us have, like, we still have that own nature because we haven't met the law yet. And a lot of us are still holding on to an old nature. Yes. Right. And so when we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we have that own nature.

when you talk about worldiness, the Bible defines what's in the world. And it says, do not love the world, no the things of this world, for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. For it is not of the father, but of this world, right? And this world is passing away in the lust thereof. And so I think when we think about worldliness, we have to ask ourselves, what is in me that's attracted to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the proud of life.

Can you teach that real quick? What is the lust of the flesh? The lust of the flesh is the thing, like submitting and being a slave to what we feel other than what the Lord has said. Yes. Right? And so that's, that's whatever we, whatever feels right,

whatever taste right, we just submit to it, right? That's a love of the flesh. The lust of the eye is like, I love what Job said in Job, right? He said, I made a covenant with my eyes not to look on a woman with us. Abiding agreement. So whatever we see, right?

Whatever, you know what I mean? And then the pride of life, we all know what that is, right? Like, pride is like will literally kill us. It's destruction, right? And so, like, we become a slave to those three things. And I hate when people call things that's not worldly, like, why you ain't no shoes that's worldly. Like, what are you talking about?

Like, the Bible tells us what's worldly. If it doesn't fall into those three categories, like, why you're holding your glass like that? That's worldly. You're looking like the world. It's like, you don't know your Bible. What are you talking about? Yeah.

And so like, like we have to ask ourselves what is what what's in us? What's in our nature that makes us attracted to, to be quite frank, death. Right? He literally says for all that it's in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. for it is not of the father. Yeah. Then he goes on to say, but of this world.

And he said, the world is passing the way. Yeah. And the lust thereof. Yeah. And he who does the will of God will abide forever. It's given KJB. It's KJB. Come on.

Right. Right. Right. And so like we have to understand that God wants us to truly enjoy the pleasures of life, not perverted versions of it. And we literally love perverted versions of pleasure and not the real thing. Which is. of our nature. Which is to say that many of the experiences that we have fun with or we enjoy in the

world have a semblance of something God made for us to enjoy in him. Yeah. Right. So when I say a perversion of fellowship, going out to the club with your friends, hanging out with your friends, all of that is community. It's just community around sin instead of community around Christ. Right. And so how can I honor the fact, okay, what I really?

want is community with people who are like-minded. So God help purify my understanding of community, provide that, right? Whether it's music. Like music is a such a mysterious, beautiful gift that God has given us to enjoy, right? And there's a sense in which even the Psalms, which are songs, like mirror our human emotional experiences. That's something God made. So God help renew my mind around music, right? So I'm saying, identify the common grace that it is that you're experiencing and then submit that to the Lord and ask him to purify your vision. You know what this reminds me of.

I hope this is not too far off topic, but it just reminded me of this. And I think this is a practical example of what we're talking about. Last year sometime, me and my friends, we went to Cuba. Yes. because I have a friend who went through a hard divorce, and it was his first time not being with his wife. And he was like, you know, I want to just spend time with my friends. And so we went to Cuba because he has people there where he gives money to

and fellowships with and stuff like that. And so we went there with them. And all the Airbnbs there have to have a host. That's how the government has it, right? And so when we went there, right, mind you, me and all my friends, we're similar. We all ex-hood dudes who love Jesus, right? We all came from the hood and, you know, we love Jesus. And so the taste, the things we taste for are just different now.

Yes. And this is the reason why we have common ground. This is why we have fellowship with one another, right? And so while we were in Cuba, our host just kept saying, kept telling us, when you guys bring back women tonight, she was like, please let me know so I can count them. And we kept saying, we're not bringing back any women. So then she finally said, are you guys, are you guys, are you guys gay?

No, it was like, no, no, no, no, we're not gay. We're not gay men. We all have wives, but guess what? She said, I ain't never seen this before. But we, yeah, we just all love Jesus. And we actually came to Cuba to fellowship with some friends that we know out here, with my friends, friends that we know out here. And we came to do what we love.

We love to drink coffee. We love Cuban coffee. And we came to buy art because the art gallery. out here are amazing. You like cigars, too. You can say that. Oh, yeah. And I love smoking cigars.

So I want to smoke a cup of Cubans. And so this is what we came out here to do. And I told them the second night, I was like, man, do you know how beautiful this is? We would sit on a porch. And I was like, man, we all came from the hood, right? If this was 15 years later, we would have been, because their clubs out there was popping. The women out there was popping.

But we found fellowship with one another. We found fellowship. and enjoying the things that God has given us because he changed our nature. And we was out there praying for people, evangelizing the people, buying one another, eating good food. And we were actually enjoying the things in life because God gave us a different taste.

Right? Right. And so long story short, the last night, well, the night before we left, we see a man come out the guest room because it was like a pooled guest room with an air pump on his, attached to his body or whatever.

And we was like, who was that? She was like, that's my husband. You haven't seen him the whole time because he's been in bed rest. The night before we leave, this man dies. Which is so sad. He dies. And we were able to pray with her

to give her the gospel, right? She has Santerini altars. Santeria. Santeria. I'm sorry, I said wrong. Altars all in her yard. You know what I'm saying? All outside is just, you know what I'm saying?

Because she believes in like, the ancestors, you know, and stuff like that. And we were able to be a light to her. And one of the things she said was, she said, I've never received a group like you guys. Wow. I've never received a group like you guys. And so what are the odds of us being there and her husband dying while we were there?

While a group of Christian men who she's never seen men walk like that before, were able to pray where. And I just say that to say this. Like there are ways for us to enjoy the fullness. of what God wants to send you. And real have fun while still being used by the Lord if we just surrender our worldiness and our own nature to him.

I have a text. Okay. And inspired a text. It inspired too because originally I was thinking about just what when Paul talks about being a new creature. Mm-hmm. You know, like what that means. Because for so long, I think,

when I was growing up around church and in church, I thought that I had to make myself new. And so let me stop cursing. Let me stop lying. Let me stop, you know, watching certain stuff. And that didn't change my nature. Yeah. God, through the power of his spirit,

had to regenerate. So you talked about justification, being made right with God. Regeneration, God doing a new thing, making me a new creature. And out of this newness flows new life. Yeah. New desires, new passions, new wants, new thoughts, new perspectives. And so like, I think what you're saying is like just evidence that God is faithful.

Yeah. To actually change people in real life. Yeah. Then the second thing that came to my mind, which I cannot find, is in Timothy somewhere where he talks about like being a clean vessel. Yeah. Second Timothy verse or chapter two, it says, Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel, vessel, vessel, an instrument for honorable use, set apart as holy,

useful to the master of the house ready for every good work. The fact that y'all were not giving y'all selves over to carnality and worldliness, set y'all up as being useful when that lady needed somebody to comfort her and her grief. That's good. Right? Because if y'all was out here inviting women in and doing the most and being hit, hypocrites, one, you probably wouldn't even have the compassion necessary to meet her where she needed, right? But you also wouldn't have had her respect.

And so, like, there's something about what God is trying to do when he delivers us from worldiness and carnality. He's making us more useful. Yeah, yeah. Because God is sovereign. God wouldn't allow that woman husband to die while we was there if we was bringing back prostitutes. Yes. But he was like, he was like, not only can you comfort her, but you can comfort her because you can comfort her because you're a faithful witness. be a witness my god throw the altars away right the ancestors can't hear you right right right right

because because they can't deliver you because because because they can't deliver you because she didn't run to those those altars but she did have people who knew the lord yes at her time of grief because she came out the next morning literally trying to serve us because it's their job to like make coffee in the in the mornings for the air bambes out there so she came out dressed in all black and we like your husband went to the hospital yesterday oh he died wait wait wait wait wait pause like we are like Are you serious? Let's sit down and talk about this. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, man.

Like, we don't want no, no, ma'am. Like, we want to talk to you about your husband. It's okay to cry, right? And so, yeah, that just shows me like, and so not only did God save us, right, and sanctify us through the years, but he was faithful to put us together to give us fellowship, right? And so not only would God save you and sanctify you, but he will send light-minded people for you to enjoy life with and do this walk with if you're faithful to him. But if all you're concerned about it or attracted by as worldiness, you're going to want to be

around worldly people. Birds of a feather flock together. And so I know we probably sound like really old, but it's like, no, it's not, it really is. Like you can, you can still be cool. You ain't got to be lame. You ain't got to be a cornball. Right.

But you can still love Jesus and enjoy the things that he's giving you. and it's not God keeping you from fun it's no your nature your nature has to change because uh I'm gonna sound like a revivalist hell ain't fun either you know like if the if the flesh is fun to you you're deceived yeah I'm sorry to say it yeah

because even you saying what the world is luster the flesh pride of life what's the other one less of the flesh and proud of life do we find it I ironic that those are the things that Satan tempted Jesus with. Yeah. Hey, I know you're hungry.

Here's some stones. Turn them to bread. Lust of the flesh. Hey, I know you want to exalt yourself. How about you jump down off of this temple. When you do that, they'll see that you're the Messiah and they'll worship you. Pride of life. Hey, what's the other one?

Look at all of these riches. Look at all the kingdoms in the world. I'll give them all to you. give you all of what you see if you just bow down that. You don't think. Worship me. Lus of the eye, right? You don't think he's not replicating those same temptations to us?

And that's exactly what we are tempted with. Look, look how much how they drunk. Look how much fun they have and lust of the eye, right? Right? Therefore, my point, it's satanic. That's the point of our fun. Has Satan as its origin. And so we need deliverance.

That's good. Lay hands on us, Father, and deliver us from evil. And I think we're, I don't want people to think that we're here talking, like, two people who already received their glorified body. So like, no, we started off what we came from because we want you to know that it is a process. And so if you are wrestling with it, we was listening to a sermon earlier, what Piper was saying that, that if you're not wrestling, if you don't have a wrestle with sin, it's probably evidence that you're not a Christian.

So it's nothing wrong with. wrestling, but God wants to sanctify you through the wrestling. And so if you're just submitting to worldliness and not wrestling, that's a problem. Let me be clear. When we moved to Atlanta five years ago. Five years ago. That worldliness was trying to get a stronghold on me because Atlanta is Babylon. You hear me?

I was like, oh, we could go to a restaurant that ain't, it's like the club, but it's not the club. It's technically I'm eating salmon and lamb chops, so I'm technically not at the club. Yes, you are, ma'am. Because Atlanta got all these hookah lounges with like, like you said, they always sell lamb chops and crab cakes. Yeah, yeah. And chicken and waffles with grass walls. And it's like, are we in a club? And then we started to feel like, no, like this is. No, what happened was I kept going to these restaurant clubs and people would be covered up to be like, I really love your ministry. I'm like, you know what, I don't belong here. Like, I'm not supposed to be in the, but what shifted me is that I started working on my book holier than thou.

And in that, I asked the Lord to use it to change me. And he gave me a vision of his holiness in such a way that it revealed even the worldly parts that still existed in me. I was going to these places and trying to just, and this is for some years ago, going to these places and justifying my presence and the room because I wanted to be there. Yeah. Right? But the Lord had to show me, one, I'm using you. So this is affecting your witness.

Yeah. But two, you don't belong in these rooms. Like, stop. Like, it was like the enemy was trying to slowly revert me back to the same things that the Lord snatched me from in the beginning of my walk, which I said was related to clubs and music. You know what I'm saying? And then out of that, then the Lord snatched me from me entertaining certain secular music and stuff like that.

And so I think I'm only saying that to say we're talking about what we're constantly wrestling with. What would you say to the person who would say those places aren't innately evil? Like it's not blatant evil to sit around at a lounge while people doing hookah. I'm not doing hookah. I'm just, I like their salmon. You know, I like the way I like taking pictures in front of their grass wall. Like, well, what would you say for people who say that's not sinful? would you say it's a matter of personal conviction

or sinful for everybody who's... There's levels. So we just talk about Atlanta, right? Yeah. There are some places. It's just a black-owned restaurant that doesn't necessarily have a club like atmosphere. They just got, you know, certain music,

a lot of food, et cetera, et cetera. Like, if the music doesn't distract you or cause you to think about things that aren't pure, then eat your salmon to get up out of the way. way, right? But there's a second level where it is very much a club environment. The clothing is very club oriented, the feel, the vibe where there's like this, this, like we've been in spaces where I was like, this feels dark. Yeah. It feels perverted. It feels lustful. It feels there's no light, no life here. And I got to go. And so I think there's levels to it, but I think we got

to stop saying, is it sin or is it not? The question is, if I go in this room, will I be a witness to Jesus by being here? And does this distract me or tempt me to move in the direction that is opposed to righteousness? Yeah. I think that widens it where it's less about, is this sin? Is this not sin? It's like, is it making me holy or to be in the room or not?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. I agree. I agree. Because we ain't had to wrestle with that in Chicago. Yeah. Because none of that exists. You know what I'm saying? In Atlanta.

So I think people who are in regions where the worldliness is a bit more intense, which Atlanta definitely is, L.A., some parts of Vegas. Like, I think we have a particular, we have to have a different mindfulness on how we move in these cities. Yeah, and it's kind of like when the Lord saved me in his sovereignty, he took me to my auntie house in the suburbs. Yeah, and I had to snatch you out. He had to snatch me out.

And even when I came, I had to be careful. about the environments that I came in because it's like, man, my homeboys walking past me or my cousins walking past me and I'm like, that way you smell good. I'm just being honest, that we smell good. That ain't even me.

That's some trouble. I want some of that. You know what I'm saying? Or they're talking about all the women that they, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's not necessarily sinful being there, but is it helping my sanctification process?

Is it helping me become more godly? Or is it a stumbling block in the way of my sanctification process because God cares about that. And if you pray, because we have to stop looking at sin is, did God say this? I don't see nothing about about hookah loungers. We got to stop saying that because all disobedience, right? Because even though God has given us this reveal words and know what we shouldn't do, he's also revealed himself through the person of Jesus Christ and gave us his spirit who leads us into all truth. And so when we pray and say, God, do you want me here? We have to be honest and say, is God, lead.

me here and if it is and if he's saying no and we're still going that's also still seen even though it's not in his Bible so yeah because I feel like I really reiterate there are some things that's just a matter of witness so I think Paul's exhortation for them not to eat food uh like food that was like sacrifice to idols at the temple for you like tattoos or marking your flesh yeah he says like if you're at the temple eating that food you're at the temple eating that food, people will assume that you also agree with the basically the worship of these false gods. Yeah, yeah. So don't go there.

That's a witness. That's a love thing, right? But if you have that food at the crib, you know what I'm saying? So I think witness matters. It really does. But also our conscience. Yeah. We want to maintain a pure conscience.

And so if you always feel this tension about certain music or certain conversations or are certain friends, really like lean into that because I need you to know, God is not trying to take something good from you. God is trying to give something good to you. And so deliverance from carnality, deliverance for worldliness opens your capacity to receive more of his fullness. And in his fullness is actual joy. But let me say this too. My God, I felt that. That's good. That's really good. But let me just say this too because I think it might be some Christians here who say, well, my conscience, I don't have a con. I don't. Yes, that's fair. I don't feel anything. thing. And I think you have to ask yourself, if you truly are in Christ, did you originally

feel something? Because there is a sense in which our hearts become a hard, our conscience you can become seared. And I think, for example, for me, there was really during a pandemic where people stop going to church and stop being around the saints. I saw a shift in a lot of Christians. For sure. And I saw a lot of Christians who moved one way. And then after the pandemic, it was like you got around a particular type of crowd and so everything is a liberty you might you might not have you might not have that same conviction but that doesn't mean it ain't wrong right good right because i think what satan job is is to harden our hearts over a period like one thing i can give satan credit for if i can give him credit for anything he's patient over a course of time he hardens our hearts more and more

He makes us un like he makes the Christian community and things of God unattractive more and more if we don't submit those things to Jesus. And so you just have to have the humility to say, God, I didn't have, I don't have an affection for you like I used to. I did that. Help me. I did that. Like, like God, like in order for us to obey and love God, we need God to help. I did that when we were dating. I don't like him, God.

No, we kept like kissing and stuff. And it was going a little far. And we, we never go all the way, but we was, we was going too far. And the first time, the first time we had kissed, I, remember, I was crying. I was so grieved. Like, oh my God. I was just, I just, I just, I was lusted. I was, I was outside.

I was, I was outside on the steps crying, reading Psalm 51. Like, God, like, make me. be white as snow. I know you're able to do it. But then we kept doing it. Not doing it, but like we kept, we kept getting into these very lustful interactions and I was driving and I noticed I wasn't as convicted anymore and it scared me. Yeah. It legitimately scared me where I was like, oh, like, why is it becoming easier for me to do this? And that's, that's the process of hardness. Yeah. Is that I kept putting myself with Preston in situations to sin. And, and I wasn't actually repenting.

Yeah, and I wasn't, yeah, I wasn't being a good leader. Like, there is a such thing as worldly grief. Mm-hmm. Whereas, like, you feel bad, but you don't necessarily, you're not grieving the fact that you send against God in such a way that it changes how you move. When there is real repentance, you move different. So I became like, oh, we're not hanging out at this time.

We're not doing this. Like, I had to put measures in place to guard my conscience. Yeah. And that's ultimately what we're saying. That's good. That's really good. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. I think for me, yeah, there were times in my Christian walk, where I'm like, the things that used to convict me don't convict me anymore. I get angry at people and I snap at people. And that three years ago, I would, that would be on my heart all day and on my conscience out. I would wake up the next morning thinking about how I offended people and I couldn't move until I repent and apologize to that person. Now it's like, I don't care. And it's like, God. hasn't changed. I have. Yeah. Right. And in order for me to to get back there, I have to say, God help me, right? I have to run to him, right? And I think a lot of times people get tired of running to God. Because it's way easier to run to the things that the world offers you. And it's

like now you just, oh, well, I'm at a different place now. We know that. That's the problem. You're at a different place now, but that don't mean it's the safest place. The safest place is where you was at. And so just because you feel a certain way doesn't mean it's justify, right? Godly conviction is what you need to have. And if you don't have that, you need to run the God and say, God, help me, continue to sanctify me. I need you. I repent, right? And God honors that humility. So I got a text. Okay, got another text. I love how you keep picking up the Bible. Because it's so many people out here with opinions on these podcasts with no Bible. And so we got to retrain our minds to see that.

That's good. Psalm 51, creating me a clean heart. Remember we talking about regeneration? Create. Give me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore, bring back the joy of your salvation and uphold me with a willing spirit. And I need you to recognize that he.

He is making these petitions to God as the only one who can do what he's asking. Only God can give me a clean heart. Only God can renew a right spirit within me. Only God can keep me. Only God can restore to me the joy of my salvation. Only God can withhold me. And so for us to stay away from worldliness, for us to be holy, for us to be pure, for us to be kind, then gentle and compassionate and all the things we need him.

Yeah. And so that emphasizes why we have to stay close. Because if we don't stay close, we will drift. It's inevitable. Yeah, yeah. But even in the drifting, acknowledge the drifting and turn back. Yeah. And I also want to just be sensitive because I believe this is my third or fourth year

walking with the Lord. I could potentially hear a podcast like this and feel condemned if I'm drifting off. And what we're not trying to do is condemn anybody for not being holy enough or righteous enough. We're just saying we can't be holy and righteousness, righteous on our own. And so we need to run to Jesus in order to be so. But if you feel like that that that that worldiness is coming back, that lack of conviction is kind of like wearing off, godly conviction is wearing off. We're saying that because sanctification is a process, you have to consistently remind yourself that, no, I need to run to Jesus for help. Because the only way we got as mature in Christ, and

We're not nearly as mature as we should be or could be, right? It's because we just kept running to Jesus. And so if we're trying to do anything, it's not to discourage you, but to encourage you to run to Jesus. You're not perfect. We're not perfect. No Christian is perfect. We're not perfect people.

We're people who trust in a perfect God. And so I think- That's Christianity. That's Christianity. Yeah. So, yeah. All right. Peace.

Bye. With the Paris is produced by the paris with support from Amanda Reed and Channing McBride video recording and audio production by Kim Powell, Abishai Perez, and Xavier Fairley, edited by the team at Tread Lively, artwork by hop, and music by swoop. Thank you for listening. Now go with God.